The mall
by SasuHina
Summary: Its a SasuHina! plz no flames. R


_**So she said what's the problem baby**_

_**What's the problem I don't know **_

The mall was never Sasuke's top choice to hang out in. It was too crowded, too noisy, and too full of girls.

"Sasuke-kun! Hi!"

In fact, he was wondering what on earth had possessed him to come here in the first place.

"Come on, man! Lighten up once in a while, will ya?"

He received a slap on the back from his friend, the indispensable, hyper, and annoyingly happy Naruto.

'Oh yeah...that's why I'm here.' Thought Sasuke glumly.

Somehow, the blonde shinobi had managed to drag him here, and he had consented.

'But only because staying at home would be too boring.' He reminded himself, as Naruto rambled on happily about how cute Sakura was, and how delicious ramen could be...

Sasuke sighed, wondering what series of chaotic events were in store for him today.

Both boys looked up instantly, and were greeted by the shy smiling face of Hinata. "Oh, h h hey , N-N-Naruto-kun ,S Sasuke-san." She added, seeing the raven-haired boy there as well.

Sasuke nodded, noting the absence of his name's usual extension. He knew, for a fact, that Hinata's fascination with him had been fading away slowly, ever since last summer.

That meant one less annoyance for the rest of his peaceful life.

...and he was grateful for it.

Or was he?

Still, her pretty lavender eyes twinkled with enchantment, dazing him momentarily. Unconsciously, Sasuke stood there, rooted to the spot, while Hinata chatted shyly with Naruto. That was unusual of him, even if he was known widely as the antisocial, cold-hearted freak. Which he was, actually.

It took a few more seconds for Sasuke to realize that Hinata was looking at him with the utmost concern.

"S-S Sasuke san? Y You o okay?"

Naruto seemed to notice as well,, nudging his friend with his elbow.

"Hey. Sasuke-bastard!" he called, tapping the boy's head.

Sasuke snapped out of his trance, and glared at Naruto menacingly. The other boy just made a face at him, sticking out his tongue.

Hinata smiled, and bent down to pick up something which she had dropped. When the girl wasn't looking, Naruto whispered something to Sasuke.

"You were staring at her."

_**Well maybe I'm in love (love) **_

_**Think about it every time**_

Upon hearing this, the boy turned a shade of light crimson. Hinata was looking at the two males curiously.

"S s so, w w where a aare you g g guys headed?" she asked, with a slight air of suspicion. It was directed at Naruto.

"Rather, who are y y you l l ooking for?" Hinata added, smiling. Her female instincts told her that Naruto wasn't here for _just_ shopping. He was here for another reason.

This caused the blonde to blush furiously.

"N-nobody." He stammered, looking away from the kuniochi.

Hinata merely sighed, and put her bags down for a while.

"N N N aruto kun , if you're looking f for S S Sakura, she's over t t there in the b book s store." The girl gestured to a nearby shop casually.

"Where?" Naruto seemed to light up with energy.

Sasuke grunted, and folded his arms. The dobe was sure hyper today. 'Must have been all the ramen he ate this morning.'

"Over there you idiot." The black-haired boy grabbed his friend by the shoulders, and steered him in the direction of the girl.

_**I think about it**_

_**Can't stop thinking 'bout it**_

Naruto saw the girl of his dreams, through the glass window. She was browsing through the cooking section.

"Ack! It really is her!" squeaked the boy, his pupils dilating in fear. Sasuke rolled his eyes, while Hinata giggled. The boy gave Naruto a push towards the store, smiling evilly.

"Go."

Half-stumbling, half-walking, the blond shinobi swaggered nervously through the glass doors. Sasuke smirked, seeing his idiot friend bumble and stutter in utter helplessness. Sakura turned around.

"Oh, Naruto!..."

From the outside, the SAsuke and Hinata watched with amusement.

It was a wonder, what love could do to reduce a guy to bits.

Sasuke turned around, to face a smiling Hinata. She began to pick up her of shopping bags.

"W W Well, I'd b better g get g going. Ino 's w w waiting f for m me."

"Hn." Replied Sasuke, in his usual monotone.

He watched in silence, as the shy girl tried to pick up her bags, struggling awkwardly with the bulk and size of them. Hinata picked some up, then accidentally dropped some, and then dropped some more in the process.

"Grrrr..."

He could tell that she was getting frustrated.

_**How much longer will it take to cure this**_

Sasuke watched in fascination, as Hinata tried, in vain, to pick everything up at the same time.

As expected, it was of no use.

Much to his surprise, Sasuke found himself moving, picking up the girl's bags for her. Hinata just stopped, and stared at him.

"W W What are you d doing, S S Sasuke-san?" she asked.

"Picking up your bags." Replied Sasuke casually. He paused to smirk at her. "It's kind of pathetic to watch you like that." He added.

She smiled at Sasuke, who thought that his insides would melt anytime soon.

She blushed , looking at the floor.

"T T Thanks."

_**Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love (love) **_

They walked for a few minutes, with Sasuke carrying most of the load, and Hinata just stared at him. '_Sasuke- kun is nice, I always thought he is a commonly bastard. But now, I kinda like him...NO Stop thinking that Hinata, I am not a perv, or am I ??????'_

"Where are you going to meet Ino?" The boy asked, at one point.

"Hm? O Oh, s s she s said that she w wanted to m m meet in a a s store c called 'Tawny's Bridge.' I think it's o on t the s second f floor."

"...Oh."

They walked in silence from then on. Sasuke kept his thoughts to himself, puzzling over that new feeling, when his stomach would perform unexpected flip-flops. He seemed to concentrate on that thought, trying to identify the source.

_'It's Hinata, you idiot.' _Chimed a small voice. _'You're feeling this way because of HINATA.'_

Sasuke grimaced. Oh no, it was that evil voice in his head, again. Somehow, that person always seemed to appear at the wrong times.

_**Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love **_

"S Sasuke k k san , t the e elevator's this way."

Hinata's voice floated over to her companion, who stopped immediately.

"Huh?"

The boy then noticed, for the first time, that he was about to walk straight into one of those decorative plants.

The shy girl smiled, and pointed to the metal doors.

"O Over h here."

"Right." He muttered under his breath, changing course.

When Sasuke got to where Hinata was, she was eyeing him curiously.

"A Are y y you sure y you're a all r right?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yes." Answered the boy, with a hint of exasperation. She was getting annoying.

_**Come on, come on **_

_**Turn a little faster**_

The Elevator doors opened, and revealed a crowd of people, compressed, like a pack of sardines. The attendant waved at Sasuke and Hinata, beckoning them inside.

"Come on, sir, miss! We'll all have to squeeze in, right now!" he called.

Sasuke tapped the girl on her shoulder. "Why don't we just wait for the next one?" he asked.

"Next one's out of order!" yelled the attendant. Hinata shrugged. "W WWell I guess we'll just have t to s squeeze in, l l like he said." She replied.

The boy just sighed, and followed her in.

'The things I do for love...'

Sasuke stopped in his tracks. _Wait a minute. Where in the world did that come from?!_

_**Come on, come on **_

_**The world will follow after**_

The elevator was crowded and stuffy, indeed. Inside, people from all walks of life mumbled and fidgeted impatiently, waiting for their turn to walk out of the cramped metal compartment.

"IT s s sure i is packed i in h here." Commented Hinataa, trying to squeeze in with the rest. Sasuke couldn't have agreed more.

"Okay people, next stop, second floor!" announced the attendant, punching a few buttons. A sly look appeared in his eyes. The rest of his face wasn't really visible, because part of it was covered with a mask.

"That guy looks familiar..." mused Sasuke. "Almost like—"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Grinning maniacally, the attendant pushed the 'swing' button on purpose, causing the whole compartment to swing to the side, tossing its contents in the process. A shriek escaped from Hinata's lips, and she found herself stumbling to the other side of the elevator...

...straight into Sasuke.

The attendant chuckled knowingly, seeing the two of them blush and look away. He jabbed the button a few more times, and watched the people fall, and the sparks fly.

_**Come on, come on **_

_**Cause everybody's after love**_

"Stupid attendant." Muttered Sasuke, brushing himself off. Hinata just nodded, and looked at the floor.

They were on the second floor now, just a few minutes after the whole chaotic elevator ride. The raven-haired boy had the growing suspicion that the elevator attendant was not who he really seemed to be.

Picking up the bags, Sasuke looked at Hinata. "Well, which store is it?" he asked, with a hint of impatience.

The girl looked around uncertainly. "I I I'm not r really s sure...I guess w w e'll just have to l look f for i it, t t then." She said.

"I guess..." managed Sasuke, glancing around.

The two walked some more, around the second floor, in silence, as usual.

"S S Sasuke san?"

"Yes."

"Did you notice the elevator attendant?"

"..." Sasuke nodded.

"H He looked a awfully a l llot l llike KKakashi-s sensei."

"...Aa."

The boy stiffened. So, that's what it was. That maniac of a teacher had disguised himself as an elevator attendant! And he pressed that button on purpose as well! Sasuke felt his fist tighten. That Kakashi was going to get it from him...and how.

" I I I t think that's the place."

Once again, Hinata's voice broke his train of thought. The two teenagers found themselves in front of a small stuffed-toy store.

"Oh, h how c ccute! I'll bet I I Ino's h here." Said Hinata, entering. Sasuke stayed outside, wondering if he was ever going to get used to this.

'No! NO! I SHALL NOT go in there. It's full of stupid 'cute' stuffed toys...I wonder what people see in those things anyway.' Thought Sasuke, staring at the giant hulking teddy bear that decorated the glass window.

"Sasuke-kun! Y You c coming? I I I haven't found I Ino y yet!" called Hinata, peeking out the door, and gesturing for him to come in.

With a defeated sigh, the boy walked stiffly into the shop. Yup, it was true. He was NEVER going to get used to this.

_**So I said I'm a snowball running **_

_**Running down into the spring that's coming all this love **_

"Ino."

There were only a few people in the shop, and while Hinata was scouting around for her best friend, Sasuke was reduced to a staring contest with a black stuffed cat.

'I'm going to beat you...' thought Sasuke, glaring menacingly at the cat. The shop owner looked curiously at the boy, wondering what was wrong. He tapped Sasuke on the shoulder, causing him to lose the match.

Sasuke turned, fixing the man with a look of pure venom.

"What?"

Surprisingly, the shop owner wasn't really bothered by the boy's strange manner of staring everyone to bits. He merely pointed to an adorable brown puppy, perched a few shelves away. It wore a silver, heart-shaped collar.

The owner patted Sasuke's shoulder, which irritated him to no end.

"Why don't you get that one for your girlfriend?"

At his words, the boy turned beet red, but managed to mask his embarrassment. He narrowed his eyes at the man.

"She's not my girlfriend."

_**Melting under blue skies **_

_**Belting out sunlight **_

_**Shimmering love **_

A few minutes later, Hinata walked to where Sasuke was a disappointed look on her face. Ino wasn't there. Obviously.

"I t t tried calling her s s several times, b b but h h her p phone s s seems to b be o oout of c c commission." Said the girl, fingering her cell phone.

Sasuke quirked a brow at this new development, but decided to keep his thoughts to himself. Seeing that Hinata was downcast, the usually cold-hearted boy decided to cheer Hyuga Hinata up, even if it was very uncharacteristic of him.

"Well, just drop these off at some counter, and then we can look for her." He stated.

At his words, the owner of the shop suddenly appeared, carrying a book called 'Icha Icha Paradise'

Sasuke then got very very suspicious.

"Well then, I've got a drop-off counter right here." Announced the shop-owner. "Just drop the packages off, and come back later." He said.

Hinata, without a care in the world, nodded, and smiled her thanks. She handed the bags to the man, who in turn, gave her a number, so he could remember which packages belonged to whom. Sasuke just glared at the man, who ignored him.

'Stupid Kakashi. I can practically see through his pathetic disguise.'

Leaving the store, Hinata stood beside Sasuke, twiddling her fingers nervously. The boy noted that she was clutching her cell phone, in a somewhat strained manner.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at her.

Upon hearing him, Hinata up at him , and blushed. _ He's concerned! He actually cares! _She thought happily.

"W W Well, I I received a m message from I Ino. She said she's o o on a d d date with Shikamaru." Stammered Hinata, her cheeks growing to a pink.

Sasuke didn't say anything for a while. He just stood there, thinking of something.

"S S Sasuke san?"

" How 'bout we go get some ice cream, then?" he suggested aloud. After realizing what he had just said, Sasuke, cold-hearted loner turned nice-guy Sasuke, covered his mouth in dismay.

'Did I just say what I thought I said? Great...I'm actually becoming sociable...'

_**Well baby I surrender **_

_**To the strawberry ice cream**_

"S S Sure, w why not?" Hinata brightened up considerably. She walked over to Sasuke, and latched onto him.

"I know of this nice place..."

And, just like a couple, they walked on,

From inside a store that stood nearby, Naruto pressed his face to the window, grinning widely. With him was Sakura, who had a small smile painted on her pretty face.

The shinobi rubbed his hands gleefully, and whipped out a camera.

"Sasuke, this is payback, for all the evil things you have done to embarrass me..."

The girl giggled, and looked at Naruto affectionately. "They certainly are cute together."

_**Never ever enter all this love**_

"Um...I think I I'll h have s strawberry." Hinata leaned over the counter, picking out from the three-hundred flavours offered by the ice cream booth. The man at the desk, seemingly an old friend of hers, nodded and prepared her order.

"And what will your date have, miss?" he asked.

Blushing profusely, Hinata managed an embarrassed laugh.

"Hehe...um, h h he's not r r really m my d date, you see."

The counter man nodded.

"Right."

_**Well I didn't mean to do it **_

Hinata turned to Sasuke, who was slouching over one of the tables, in that vicinity.

"S S Sasuke-san! W What f fflavour d do y you w w want?" she called, gesturing to the menu. The boy squinted at the list, and walked over to his girlfr—I mean, _friend_.

"Vanilla." He stated, in his usual low voice.

"Vanilla?!" asked the attendant, in disbelief. It was a personal insult for vanilla to be ordered there, since they had exactly three-hundred choices of delicious ice cream flavours to choose from.

"That's right." Retorted Sasuke, glaring down at the small, wiry man.

"I want Vanilla. No sprinkles, no chocolate bits. Just plain Vanilla. Got that?"

The attendant nodded feebly, clearly overwhelmed by his customer's hostile attitude. Frowning after the boy, as he retreated back to a far-off table, the man muttered something to Hinata.

"Your friend seems to be in a bad mood today." He said, jabbing a thumb at Sasuke.

Hinata rolled her eyes. "H H e's a always l like that."

"Oh."

The attendant went back to his work, when the girl interrupted him.

" E E Excuse m me Ajax."

"Yes, miss?"

"Would you mind replacing the V Vanilla with P P Peppermint, i instead?"

Ajax eyes her suspiciously, with a hint of puzzlement on his face. Nevertheless, the man readied the scoop of mint-green ice cream.

"You sure, Miss Hyuga?" he asked, as if to verify her decision.

" S Sure as e e ever." She replied cheerfully.

"Okay, then. Your orders will be ready in a few minutes."

_**But there's no escaping your love**_

Sasuke was making small paper sculptures out of the table napkins, when Hinata came around, carrying a tray laden with two bowls of ice cream. The girl sat down, and offered him his bowl.

Looking into it, Sasuke wondered why the Vanilla ice cream just turned green. He looked at Hinata questioningly.

"Since when did Vanilla ice cream turn green?"

"O Oh, they were o o out o of V Vanilla." Lied Hinata, grabbing a spoon. "So I I just o o ordered Peppermint i i instead. It's really g g good, t t though."

She began digging into her own heap of ice cream, which was a blob of frozen pink, as far as Sasuke was concerned. He stared down at his own serving, uncertain of what to do next.

'Might as well give it a try, I guess.'

And with that end thought, Sasuke got a spoon, and gulped down a spoonful of the minty, green sweet stuff.

It tasted pretty good, actually.

_**These lines of lightning **_

_**Mean we're never alone, **_

_**Never alone, no, no **_

Soon, Hinata was done with her ice cream, and so was Sasuke. She was looking at him now, with an expression that the boy couldn't quite decipher. Sasuke gulped, feeling himself get all warm and melted on the inside. For him, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"How w w was t t the i i ice c cream?" ventured Hinata, casting her gaze onto the empty bowl.

"It was okay. Pretty good." Replied Sasuke, still maintaining his emotionless façade, although the butterflies were already ravaging the inner spaces of his stomach.

"Great. At least now you k k know that there's s s something other t t than V Vanilla, that's w w worth e eating."

"I guess...you could say that."

Hinata leaned back into her chair, letting out a soft, contented sigh. The girl closed her eyes for a moment, and the raven-haired boy got the strange feeling of an angel's presence.

_**Come on, Come on**_

_**Move a little closer **_

"Hinata?"

This time, it was his turn. Sasuke couldn't bear to see the angel's sadness any longer. Yes—that was the look that had caused his uneasiness the whole time...the look of longing sadness in her beautiful lavender eyes.

_**Come on, Come on**_

_**I want to hear you whisper**_

"Y Yes, S Sasuke?" came her voice, tinkling like many glass bells.

The boy just looked at her, his expression all seriousness.

""I...I—"

"Y Y Yes, S Sasuke-k kun?"

The boy sighed heavily, looking at her. Yes, she was beautiful, kind, and caring. .

"I I I, lets go."

_**Come on, Come on **_

_**Settle down inside my love**_

Hinata could not speak for a moment. She just looked into those dark, warm eyes, .

"O O Okay S Sasuke-kun."

_**Come on, come on **_

_**Jump a little higher**_

"You know, I've noticed it for quite a while."

"Hm?"

"He looks at her with that emotion in his eyes—you know..."

"What! Hinata-sama is too good for that Uchiha bastard"

"The way Sasuke looks at her...it's quite obvious that he's got a thing for her, you know?"

"I guess...the Uchiha ice man has finally melted...but still Hinata-sama.."

Tenten laughed, and jabbed Neji in the ribs, with her elbow.

"Come on, you. I think Lee's waiting for us over there."

Neji just grumbled.

"Right."

_**Come on, come on**_

_**If you feel a little lighter**_

Hinata smiled brightly, and the boy's heart skipped a beat. The girl got up, and walked over to Ajax, waiting at the counter. He was grinning widely.

"H H H ere's t t the p p payment..." said Hinata, handing him a few bills. Of course, Sasuke had contributed some.

"Okay ma'am. See you!" greeted the man, handing her a brochure.

Sasuke felt his insides turn to jelly again, as he watched Hinata make her way towards him.

'Snap out of it, Uchiha! She's just a girl, after all!'

But something told the boy that Hinata Hyuga was more than just a girl.

...she was a girl that he really, really liked.

_**Come on, come on **_

_**We were once**_

_**Upon a time in love **_

They walked a little way from the ice cream shop, oblivious to the one-man camera crew and Hinata, trailing their every step.

Sasuke flinched ever so slightly, when he and Hinata found themselves in front of Tawny's Bridge, the stuffed toy store, once again. Both entered the shop, and were greeted by the attendant—er, Kakashi.

"Welcome, again." He said cheerfully, flipping a few pages of his book. "Did you enjoy your date?"

At this, both reddened.

"NANI?!"

Kakashi chuckled, before adding "Ajax told me about it."

"Gai-sensei? What are you doing in that ice cream stand apron?" questioned Tenten, folding her arms stubbornly.

Gai just gave his young student a sly smile.

"None of your business."

"W Well, I I'm here to pick up m my b bb bags." Said Hinata, handing Kakashi the number card he had given her earlier.

"Okies, here they are." Replied the man, handing her the bags.

"T T Thank you." Smiled Hinata, taking them.

She prepared to walk out of the shop, when Sasuke interrupted.

"Hey, Hinata, I'll just get something. Could you wait for a while?" he asked.

Hinata nodded. "O Ok. S Sure."

The girl walked out, and set down her bags.

The raven-haired boy walked over to the counter, and looked Kakashi in the eye. One eye, literally. A devilish grin crept up Sasuke's features.

"Hello, sensei."

The attendant smiled goofily. "Why, whatever do you mean, sir?"

Sasuke's smile grew wider. And then, it morphed into a glare. His voice receded to a deadly whisper.

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

He began making seals in the air.

The next thing Hinata heard was a frenzied shout. Instinctively, the girl set her eyes on the shop, and was surprised to see Kakashi-sensei come out, all burnt in the face. Sasuke followed, clutching a small packet, and looking very satisfied with himself.

Hinata ran over to them both.

"Kakashi S Sensei, w what're you d d doing here?" she asked, smiling.

Kakashi shook his head vigorously, glaring inwardly at Sasuke.

"I...I have to go." He muttered, disappearing into a thread of mist.

Hinata shrugged.

"T T That was w weird ."

Sasuke nodded, knowing the full meaning of Kakashi's hasty departure. "Yeah."

Then, the girl realized that her friend was looking at her in a really odd way.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun? Y-You okay?"

Sasuke snapped out of his trance, and realized how many times Hinata had asked that, today.

'Argh! Stop spacing out, damn you!' he yelled at himself.

"Here."

The boy took the package he was holding, and handed it to the indigo haired kuniochi.

"It's for you."

Inside was the puppy.

Hinata accepted the package, and blushed, smiling her thanks. _He's sweet._

Hinata just twiddled her thumbs, nervously. Shee didn't really notice that the boy was moving closer, until their faces were only a few inches away from one another.

She gulped.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

But Sasuke merely closed his eyes, and put his lips on hers, ever so lightly. It was a short, chaste kiss that lasted only for a few seconds.

But to Hinata...it meant the world.

Both him and Hinata blushed momentarily, until the maniac laughter of Naruto was heard, over the chatter of shoppers.

"Wahahahaaa!! I can't believe it! That was priceless! They actually kissed! AND I GOT IT ON FILM, TOO!!!"

Instinctively, they turned their heads , to see their hyperactive team mate, dancing around like a monkey on drugs. He clutched a digital camera in his hands.

Nearby was Sakura, smiling brightly. She pointed at Naruto.

"His idea."

_**We're accidentally in love **_


End file.
